Submersible life-saving and salvaging vessel



Sept. 30, 1930. s. LAVERACK ,2

SUBMERSIBLE LIFE SAVING AND SALVAGING VESSEL INVENTOR ATTOR N EY Sept. 30, 1930. s. LAVERACK 1,777,209

SUBMERSIBLE LIFE SAVING AND SALVAGING VESSEL Filed Oct. 29, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheo at 2 yzzz'l'aZaw'raak ATTO R N EY Sept, 30, 1930. s. LAVERACK SUBMERSIBLE LlFE SAVING AND SALVAGING VESSEL Filed 001;. 29, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet a lllll! llllll.

INVENTOR ATTOR N EY Patented Sept. 30, 1930 LEM STATES $Q'UIRE LAVERACK, GLASSHOUGHTON, CASTLEFOBD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO EDWIN SANDERSON, F GLASSHOUGHTON, CASTLEFORD, ENGLAND SUBMERSIBLE LIFE-SAVING AND SALVAGING VESSEL Application filed. October 29, 1927. Serial No. 229,679.

This invention relates to submarine apparatus, and its general object is to provide a submersible life saving and salvaging vessel, in the nature of a diving bell, that has connection with and can be controlled by a ship on the surface of the water in which thevessel is submerged but is capable of being propelled at various depths under its own power sothat it can be moved in ac- 1 cordance with the desires of the occupants thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a submersible life saving and salvaging vessel for removing the occupants and contents of a disabled submarine or the like while the latter is submerged in an easy.

andexpeditious manner with very little ef fort, with the result the loss of life caused by submerged submarines being unable to rise to the surface will be eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide asubmarinevessel of the character above set forth that can be used for exploring below the surface of bodies of water as well as for salvaging submerged ships and the like.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction andin the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully'described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, ref-' erence will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my novel life saving and salvaging vessel andshowing the same submerged together with the apparatus for connecting it to a ship on the surface.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the vessel associated with a disabled submarine.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal. sectionalview taken through the vessel per se'and showing parts in elevation. Figure 1' is an enlarged sectional. view taken on line 44 of F igure 2. I

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail the letter A indicates a ship which may be of any desired type or construction, and appropriately secured thereto in any desired'mam number of drums may be employe'dfor the I purpose intended, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each of the drums include a hub 1, end disks "2 and an intermediate disk 8 which divides the drum in two separate and distinct parts. Secured in the hub 1 of each of the drums are shafts l mounted in appropriate bearing uprights 5 and having fixed thereto pinions 6 which are to be operated in any well known manner for operating the drums accordingly. The vessel which is connected to the ship through the medium of cables 7 secured to and adapted to be woundaboutthe hubs of the drums between the intermediate disk 3 and one of the. end disks 2, is of substantial submarine shape as bestshown inFigure 3 of the drawings and surrounding and secured thereto adjacent the ends thereof are bands 8 having eyes 9, formed therein to receive the looped ends 10 of the cables. By this construction, it will be apparent, that the vessel can be lowered at any desired depth within the length of the cables.

The vessel is provided with a partition 11 longitudinally disposed therein and has its forward endarranged in step formation as at, 12 so as to-provide' the platforms as shown to accommodate chairs 13. Arranged in confronting relation with the chairsf13' are openings closed by transparent material 11 connected about the openings in a water tight manner as will be readily apparent. The body has rising therefrom a chamber 15'closed by a door 16 hingedly secured adjacent the upper end of the chamber as shown, and formed in the forward portion of the chamber is an opening covered by including pro elling means for. the vessel it can be prope led the occupants thereof, The vessel is provided with skidsQl formed, on its bottom so that it may be easily moved transparent material 17 similar to the transparent material 14. Secured to the interior of the upper wall of the vessel and having a portion thereof positioned to underlie the chamber 15 is a platform 18 also adapted to receive a chair which together with the chairs first mentioned are arranged with respect to the transparent material whereby persons seated in the chair may observe the surround ing area occupied; by the vessel; search lights on the like are adapted: to be suspended from the ship or arranged in the vessel so that they will shine through the transparent material.

Arranged below the partition is the engine room of the vessel which is; provided with an electric motor of the usualcor struction as indicated at 19 and said motor is adaptedto operate a propeller 2O throughthe medium of a train. of gears as, shown. By.

from place to place by thepropelling means therefor or by thesh p.

In order that air may be supplied tothe; vessehan air hose 22 is carried by one of the drums as shownin Figure 5, a n d it will b e noted that one of the upri passed through the. adjacent enddisk 2 may e supplied with air from the groove at all! times regardless of the positionofthedrum;

Packing gaskets 26are disposed uponoppo-.

site sides ohthe grooveinordertoprovide an air tight connection betweenthe said adj a cent disk. 2 and the bearing upright 55, The

air hose may be'passed through a tubing 27 which has one of its ends securedinfthe small end of a funnel shapemember 28 fixed in the door 16, with the enlarged portionfof,

said member dis osed the chamber15.

The cables 0 course'are secured to the drums and in order tosupply electric current to the vessel aconductor 29 is fed from and tothe cablecarrying drum which isnot provided with theair hose. The conductor may also be arranged in a tube as shown in Fiiurefi, and be in electr cal connection w th lig ts and the motor fordrivmg the latter,

as wiil be ap arent.

.In order t at my vessel can be used as thev life saving device as well as forremovin contents from! d sabled submerged subma;

rines, a portion of my invention also includes chambers 30 extending laterally fromthe-01 posite sides of a submarine indicated at B; in FiguresQ and 4. These chambers 30 are,

each providedwith an opening ixlwhichreg- Of course.

7 "ht; bearings, 5 is. "formed witha passageiwl ghrece ves a pipe ed on the inner side of said hearing so. that the end 25 of the air-hose which is isters with an opening 32 formed in the side walls of the submarine and arranged in these openings 31 and 32 is a sleeve 33 which is of a size to allow for the passage of a person therethrough as will be apparent. Each oi the sleeves 33 have formed, on their outer end a flared portion Set and the sleeves are further provided with threads 85 extending from the flared portion and terminating intermediate the ends of the. sleeve, as best shown. in Figure 4. The inner end. of the sleeves terminate within the submarine B and are closed-by a door-iifi-which is hingedly secured and provided with latching means 37. The door ofcourse isarranged in a water tight. connection. with, the sleeve when disposed; in closed position, Extendin in,-.

ber in one direction. These tubular members.

40 are rotated by arms .42 extending, from the flanges thereof, and so that they can be 111',

ranged in threaded engagement. with the sleeves. 33for the purpose of providing a,

continuouspassage-way betweenthevesselBS and the submarine B. The flared. portion, 3 L provides. a gu de tor. the tubular members 40, and disposed within the tubular members 1s a closure 43 which is threadedly mounted therein, in amanner whereby it can be renioved through themediumof a bail 44.

for ned with' the closure, if desiredi By, this construction, it will be obvious that. inthe.

event that a submarine shouldbe in a disabled submerged condition, and includes. the sleeves 33 disposedupon opposite sides thereof vas shown in Figure 2, the vessel 38can be lowered and arrangedso that; the tubular member can be threadedly secured in one of the sleeves of the submarine, and when the door 36 is opened and the closureliiremoved,

a passage-way will be providedbetween the disabled submerged submarine andthe vessel 38,- sothat the occupants of'the submarine can" passtherefrom and into the vessel. The,

contents. of the disabled: submerged submit:

rine can also be carriedor passed through the passe gefay- From the above description and disclosureof the drawings it willbe obvious that r I have provided a submersible life saving and salvaging vessel that is not only controllable from the ship A, but can hepropelled' by the occupants of the vessel, with the re sult the..vess l, can: be arranged in accordancewith the, desiresfof the occupantsfor.

connecting the same with respechtofth e dis.-.

abled submerged submarine as set, forth, as well as for other purposes.

'ea ble withthe inner end of, itsflange 39.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character set forth comprising a hull having an opening therein, an inwardly extending and internally threaded flange formed on the inner wall of the hull about said opening, a tubular member threaded in said flange and projecting beyond the ends thereof and adapted to connect at one end with an entrance of a ship, an inwardly extending annular flange formed on the other end of said tubular member and engaging the inner end of the first mentioned flange, hand grips formed on the second mentioned annular flange, and an inwardly extending annular flange formed in said tubular member, and a closure threaded in said tubular member and abutting said inwardly extending annular flange.

2. A device of the character set forth comprising a hull having an opening, atubular member secured in said opening and projecting outwardly of the hull and internally threaded, a closure for said tubular mem her, and an internally threaded sleeve threaded to said tubular member and having one end flared to facilitate the entranceof said tubular member into the sleeve and adapted to have the other end thereof secured to a second hull.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SQUIRE LAVERACK. 

